A Tale of Two Times
by Lady Merlin
Summary: HGRL fluff. HG present RL pairing, but will change. Hope it's sweet. NOT ONE SHOT K for safety


This has been nagging at me since I discovered the magic of HGRL. Yeah, mostly thoughts. I won't leave you hanging.

Harry Potter doesn't belong to me

If he did, he wouldn't be drinking tea

If he did, he wouldn't use glasses to see

If he did, Tom Riddle would be a teen hottie

If he did, he'd have Sirius in year 3

If he did, some people wouldn't be dead

So enough said.

I love that little ditty. Got it from Moonlit Walks.

Hermione Granger was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was her 7th year and Dumbledore was back, Snape wasn't evil and Harry was back from the dead. Ron was dating Luna and Harry was involved in a passionate relationship with Ginny. Most of all, Voldemort was dead. Life was peaceful. For them at least.

She respected him because even though he went through something that many people couldn't even imagine, like being a werewolf he still managed to be one of the most compassionate people she had ever met.

She still remembered when she figured that out.

_Flashback_

On the train at the beginning of third year, she looked at his tired, worn face whenever she thought he wasn't looking. The lines under his eyes made him all the more attractive. He was old enough to be her father, true, but it didn't matter. He had much more sense than anyone else too. The rare chances she had to look into his intense honey-coloured eyes were permanently imprinted in her mind. But he obviously had a secret.

First - the Bogart. Why would he be scared of a crystal ball? He was pretty sensible.

Then- Professor Snape's essay. That hit it. She was going through her textbook when she saw something that caught her eye.

_Those affected by lycanthropy will be tired at certain times of the month, touchy near the week with the full moon, and will look older than they are…_

Something had snapped. Lupin. He suffered from exactly the same symptoms as those mentioned in the book. She continued reading.

_These people will have an insatiable appetite all year and strange cravings for meat. _

Once she thought about it, it did apply. Lupin did take a huge amount of food, and preferred steak to anything else.

He was scared of the moon, not crystal balls. The next day just imprinted it. He looked exhausted. And it was after a full moon… She didn't need anymore evidence. It all clicked. She remembered the time that she went to see him about it.

After class, she walked into the classroom after bidding Harry and Ron goodbye.

"_Professor Lupin?"_

"_Hmm?" he said looking up from his work. He actually looked pleased to see her. "Hello Hermione. How can I help you?"_

_She had been pleasantly surprised to find that he called her Hermione. "Professor, I just wanted to hand in this essay, the one that Professor Snape made us do, on Werewolves." There was no reaction, except for the slight widening of his eyes. _

"_Wow Hermione, I'm amazed that you managed to finish it, what with Harry falling of his broom and the dementors and all."_

"_I did it in the hospital wing."_

_He chuckled. "You remind me so much of myself. I was just like that when I was your age."_

_She beamed. "Thank you."_

"_Hermione, would you like some chocolate?"_

"_Yes please, thanks." Her smile grew brighter. _

_He shuffled around in his drawers, and pulled out a huge slab of Honeydukes chocolate, snapping off a piece and handing it to her. He asked her to take a seat. Hermione blushed pink with pleasure. Even then, she had had a small crush on him. She sat down on a nearby chair. It smelled like, it smelled like, the sea, chocolate, honey. YES, it smelled like Remus. _

"_Hon-Hermione," He corrected himself. "I know that you have the rest of the day off and probably want to hang out with Harry and Ron, but I was wondering if you could help me mark some papers."_

"_It would be my pleasure."_

_They spent several hours in that room, in amicable friendship. They even shared lunch. He even laughed when Peeves dashed into the room and knocked over their lunch. Those were some of the best hours of her life. _

_Later on, at the end of the day, late into the night, they finally finished marking the papers for the entire level. He sighed and slouched back on his chair. _

"_Professor Lupin."_

"_Yes Hermione?"_

"_I never was good at knowing the right time, so forgive me if this is a bad time."_

"_Of course not. In fact, because you helped me, I was spared from an even later night."_

"_You sleep later than 12?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Wow. Tough job."_

_He chuckled. "It's the best I can get."_

"_Anti-Werewolf legislations?" Hermione blurted out. _

_His already pale face turned, if possible, an even sicklier shade of grey. He turned away and opened his drawers. He conjured up a trunk and began setting things in it. Hermione looked on curiously. _

"_Professor, what are you doing?"_

"_Packing."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because, you've just discovered what I've been trying to hide all my life."_

"_Oh. I'm sorry."_

"_What?"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Why should you care? I'm a werewolf." He spat it out as if it was a curse. "You should hate me."_

_Hermione was shocked. She had never even thought that he was so sensitive about it (A/N: THAT'S NOT GAY!) _

"_Professor Lupin, I do care. You're the best teacher I've ever had. I don't want you to leave."_

_He turned around looking surprised. "Don't you hate me?" _

"_Of course not. In fact," she blushed, "I admire you." _

"_Hermione, I admire you." Remus said, surprising himself. _

"_What?"_

"_Yes, I do. You're the smartest witch of your age, and the sole sturdy support of your best friend, help him to control the destiny of the world as we know it, and still manage to get 100 higher than average results." _

_Hermione turned a deeper shade of red. _

"_Hermione, would you help me with something?"_

"_of course Professor Lup-"_

"_Remus."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Call me Remus."_

"_oh. Of course Profes- I mean, R-R-Remus."_

_He chuckled. "Now see, knowing my condition, I've strayed away from the general female population for the fear of rejection."_

"_Understandable."_

"_And Now, I have my eye on this particularly lovely woman, yet I'm not sure how to approach the situation."_

"_Oh. Explain to me Professor."_

"_See, she's younger than I am, and she's a wonderful woman. She's smart, and popular and wise for her age. She's also friendly to me, even knowing my situation, but then again, she's friendly to almost everyone. I'm not really sure if she likes me or not."_

"_Well Professor, see, I'm no guru in matters of heart, but according to me, you should go up to her, and talk to her about your feelings. Come out straight and that will most probably win her heart."_

"_Well then Hermione," Just then, Harry burst into the room. _

"_Hermione!" he gasped. "Thank god!" He smiled politely at Professor Lupin. "I couldn't sleep and decided to ask if you wanted to come with me for a walk, then panicked when I couldn't find you and thought something bad had happened, so I've been around the Gryffindor area when I remembered the map. Then I saw you in Professor Lupin's office." _

"_Wow. Thanks Harry, but I was just helping Professor grade some papers. We lost track of time."_

"_And dinner?"_

"_Had it here."_

"_Phew. I thought you were studying in the common room, got tired and went to bed early. Even got some food in case you were hungry. Now, wanna go back to bed?"_

"_Yeah, sure. Bye Professor Lupin. Thanks and see you later."_

"_Bye Hermione. Bye Harry."_

_Hermione smiled at him, encouraging him to go for the gold. He smiled back. _

_Meanwhile:_

"_Hermione, what were you doing?"_

"_Marking papers."_

_Harry snorted. "Yeah right."_

_Hermione gave him a look. "What did you think?"_

"_Never mind…"_

_But Harry did see a difference. Hermione looked down cast and Professor Lupin had a weird glint in his eye._

"_Hermione, I know."_

"_What?"_

"_I know that you like him…"_

"_I do not."_

"_I know you do. And listen Hermione. Even though people think that he's too old for you, I feel that you two would make a perfect couple."_

"_But Harry, he asked me for help, on a woman problem."_

_Harry punched a triumphant fist into the air.. "That means he likes you."_

"_A guy would only ask the woman a question like that when he's interested, so if he does ask her out, it would be in the way the woman likes it." Harry said._

"_Oh."_

_Harry smirked._

"_Hermione and Remus sitting in a tree," he whispered in her ear. She blushed, but smiled. _

"_Thanks Harry."_

"_No problem. That's what friends are for."_

_End flashback_


End file.
